


primrose petals

by Niriiun



Category: RWBY
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Blood, Hanahaki Disease, Multi, Pining, Vague, sorta canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:30:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niriiun/pseuds/Niriiun
Summary: Everything was supposed to be fine. And yet, he'd still ended up like this. Still ended up clutching a single primrose petal so brightly yellow it nearly burned. A Hanahaki fic.





	primrose petals

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written a fic in so long, I apologize. I recently got into hanahaki and wanted to try writing it, so my boi scarlet was the chosen kiddo. this is rated t for character death, blood, and swearing. it's very much scarlet-centric and kinda vague, but I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> if you don't know what hanahaki is, please know that it's a disease that forms from a one-sided love for someone and involves throwing up flower petals, which eventually turn into buds and then full flowers! usually when it progresses to full flowers, it means the affected party is going to die. hanahaki can be cured through two ways; one is surgery to remove the flowers' roots, but they also lose all feelings of love towards the person the flower was for. the other is the cause of the hanahaki to accept the person's feelings, and it will eventually go away on its own.

_ How did it end up like this. _

He was fine with sitting on the sidelines. He was fine with watching. He was fine with supporting from the shadows. Everything was supposed to be fine.

And yet, he'd still ended up like this.

Still ended up clutching a single primrose petal so brightly yellow it nearly burned. 

There was no blood, not yet, and Scarlet was grateful for that. The petal was shoved to the bottom of his trash bin in a haste, and the world suddenly felt so heavy on his shoulders. It wouldn't take a genius to know who it was for.

The man, for he was far from a teenager anymore, he called leader. The one who lifted them up, kept them motivated, and provided the backbone for their team—Sun Wukong.

Yes, Scarlet David had contracted Hanahaki, for someone so caught up in smiles and laughter with another soul. Someone who viewed him as family, but nothing more. 

And it  _ killed _ him inside. Metaphorically and now, literally. 

He took a deep breath and forced himself into a vague composition of his usual self. There was class today, and it was only the first petal. His throat didn't feel scratchy yet and his lungs weren't quite weighed down with blood and flower petals threatening to break free. If he didn't act normal, they would know. Sage would be able to detect a change in his behaviour immediately. Thus, Scarlet donned a mask, and finished tying his signature bandana around his neck. It would be fine; he'd make sure of it.

————————————

Two weeks later, the second petal emerges. It's wilted this time, with just a faint hint of blood upon its silky surface. Scarlet's heart begins to beat faster in his chest at the sight. Just as he's about to succumb to panic, a knock booms on the bathroom door.

"Hurry  _ up _ , Scar! I have to finish my hair!" It's Neptune. 

Anxiety prickles at his fingertips and Scarlet drops the petal from shaking hands, watching it glide gracefully into the toilet. 

"Sorry, Nep! I'll be out in a moment!" The redhead is surprised at how steady his voice is. There isn't even a pause to ask if he's alright, and Scarlet feels more confident than ever in his ability to keep this quiet. 

A whine makes its way through the wooden door. "Fiiine, but you owe me a raindrop cake!" 

His favourite treat. Scarlet bites his lip and runs some water. There's just a smidgen of blood on his chin and he knows he'll catch hell if he doesn't get rid of it. After schooling his expression into calm, he flushes the toilet, watching the petal swirl down and into darkness. For a moment, he wishes his feelings would go with it.

————————————

A few more days go by, and Scarlet has been lucky enough to only go through two petals. Normally they're worse. Other cases have always been worse. He can't quite figure out why his is so lenient, but he's certain it'll grow tougher. Harder to hide.  _ Harder to pretend.  _

The redhead remembers reading about Hanahaki once. There was a small lesson about it in one of their classes, for the disease was more common than most people wanted to admit. Those who ended up with it loved someone deeply, but that love was not returned. Due to that, flowers took root in their lungs, growing and growing until they constricted too tightly. Hanahaki was scary, and those unfortunate enough to contract it had two options. They could either confess in the hopes that the reason for their infliction came around. Or, for those who knew it was hopeless, they could receive surgery.

Scarlet shudders at the thought. Surgery took out the flowers killing you from inside, but they also took away the love. All those warm feelings, those skipped heartbeats and quickening of breath ... gone.

There were some people who refused either option. Those who couldn't or wouldn't confess, who refused to forget those feelings of love, eventually died. There was no other cure for Hanahaki. No amount of painkillers or ignoring your feelings could get rid of it.

Hanahaki is scary, and Scarlet knows he's doomed.

_ How could he possibly forget? _

How could he forget the first person who believed in him?

The first friend he ever had, the first person who ever made him feel like he was worth anything.

No, Scarlet knows he won't be able to get surgery, but he also knows he can't confess either. Sun is with Neptune, and they are the happiest they've ever been. Two damaged souls raised together. Two souls meant to be.

His eyes focus on the sheet of paper in front of him, and the words his teacher is speaking fade back into his eardrums. 

He sketches a flower petal in the corner.

————————————

"You have to straighten your tie, Sun. You can't go to a dance without even properly tying it!" Scarlet's voice is clearly exasperated, and he stares at Sun in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're going without an undershirt too."

Sun laughs in response, his smile bright. "Who do you think I am? I'm not wearing an undershirt to an indoor dance. They'll let me in, I'm sure of it."

The redhead sighs, uncrossing his arms. "At least let me properly tie that thing then. You can't go looking like that when your date is in a nice ass suit, bow and all!" Sun grumbles something under his breath but motions Scarlet over anyway. His fingers work to quickly tie the white length at his neck, and he pretends he doesn't see the faint hickey peaking out on Sun's right shoulder. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Sun's looking at him with those pretty eyes of his, and Scarlet feels his heart flutter a bit. Standing this close, their height difference is obvious; he has to fight the urge to whisper forbidden words.

"Are you getting father'd again?" Neptune teases, stepping into the room. 

The redhead takes the opportunity to step away from Sun. His entire body feels on edge, and there's a scratchy feeling in his throat—a petal. Scarlet looks to Neptune with wide eyes, hoping that it comes off not as panic. "No thanks. Dances aren't really my thing. You two, on the other hand, are totally gonna turn heads. Some ladies are gonna be so jealous!" I am too.

Sun's impeccably bright smile lights up the room again. "You're not wrong. Alright then, you ready Nep?" He crosses to his date and plants a kiss on his cheek. Neptune grows pink and shy, despite how many times they've done that in front of Scarlet.

He watches them link arms and head towards the door. Already he has been forgotten in their conversing. The redhead is grateful Sage is out at the moment, because the moment they close the door to their temporary dorm, Scarlet sinks to the floor. 

This time there's two petals, coughed into his hands with a splash of blood and a sadness so thick it nearly overtakes just how quiet their lonely dorm is.

————————————

As the Vytal Festival grows closer, Scarlet feels himself grow worse. 

His coughing has grown worse. Even if there isn't a petal, he's almost always coughing. The first few times were easy enough to pass off as a cold, but within two weeks the rest of Team SSSN is concerned. He doesn't blame them really; he knows he'd be the same way if it was one of them instead.

Did he wish it was? Scarlet couldn't say anymore.

"I'm just having a weird scratch in my throat. I'm fine, I swear. Something I swallowed went down wrong I guess." Scarlet pretends he can't feel Sage's gaze on him.

"You've been saying that for days, Scar. Please go see a doctor. We have a fight to train for in the tournament; you gotta be in top shape." Neptune continues scolding for a good two minutes but he mostly tunes him out.

Deep down, he knows he can't. Seeing a doctor would solidify his fears. He would get his diagnosis, and there would be no way the doctor could keep it a secret.

"You're taking a break from training today. Leader's orders." Dark green rose to meet bright blue.

"Bu—"

"Please, Scar. Take some time to rest. You seem like you need it." 

Hearing the worry in Neptune's voice brings him down from the challenge. His eyes swivel back to the floor. "Alright. I'll try to get well soon." Sage's hand finds his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze in response.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a moment. I'm going to make Scar a shake to soothe his throat."

The pair agrees, and once again Scarlet watches them wander out with arms linked. He suppresses a cough as he's unsure whether a petal is threatening to escape. Their room is silent for nearly five minutes afterwards, aside from Sage shifting around the tiny kitchen area. 

"How long?" Scarlet whispers, "how long have you known?"

Sage doesn't stop moving, and for a moment he wonders if the tall man even heard him. The span of time between his question and an answer seems infinite.

"I found a petal when I cleaned your room. It was in your sheets, so it must've come out when you were sleeping. That was about a month ago."

Surprisingly, he doesn't feel scared. Scarlet looks to his feet, and his body trembles with uncertainty. "Do ... do you know what it is?"

"Of course I know what Hanahaki is, Scarlet."

He winces a bit at his full name, because Sage doesn't use his full name. None of them do. Only when they're angry or upset. The redhead supposes this is one of those times. Really, he can't blame him. When he looks up again, Sage has his back to him. 

"You obviously know what happens. Why haven't you gone in yet?"

Scarlet's vision grows blurry, and he sinks his nails into the underside of his chair. "Because I ... can't. I don't want to forget. Not yet."

He hears Sage sigh and with that oh-so-heavy noise, the tears begin to fall. "You are a part of this team, Scarlet. A part of our family. You have to do something."

"What is there to do, Sage? Nothing can cure Hanahaki. I cannot afford to get surgery so close to the Vytal Festival. We're here to fight and I refuse to be the one responsible for us forfeiting." The redhead scrubs at his eyes, trying his hardest to get rid of the tears. 

Sage walks over, hearing the distress he's in, and hugs him from the side. There's fingers in his hair, petting and comforting, and Scarlet feels so so heavy from everything crashing down at once. He cries until there is no more tears to give and his head aches with clouded thoughts.

"After the tournament, I want you to go in. Understand? I'll even go with you. Promise me."

Scarlet doesn't answer at first. Doesn't answer because he is afraid, and he knows that Sage can tell.  _ I don't want to forget how warm I feel. Please. _ “I promise.”

"Can I ask who?" Sage's voice is quiet, the words careful and distant.

His fingers curl against Sage's arm, trembling. Scarlet's certain he already knows. The question is a formality. They both know that. "Sun."

"Primrose petals suit him."

He feels Sage let go, and even though his eyes are free from tears, he feels lost in things he cannot see. Minutes pass, feeling longer than they should, and Scarlet is only broken from his trance by the soft clink of a glass next to his hands; the shake Sage promised.

He doesn't turn around but he can tell Sage is at the door, hand gripping the knob tightly. Scarlet pulls the mug directly in front of him and gathers what little courage he has left. "Hanahaki has touched you too." It isn't a question. Both of them know that, for Sage knows Scarlet remembers black rose petals scattered about their bedroom floor.

"Once, long ago." The handle turns and the door is creaked open.

His teeth sink into his lip, a pang of copper staining his tongue. 

"I gave him up."

The words hang heavily in the air long after Sage has left. Scarlet doesn't touch the shake left behind for him. 

There are seven petals that night.

————————————

Scarlet tries his hardest to hide how much worse he's getting.

His coughing is suppressed, and the petals spilling from cracked lips are flushed as soon as they can be. He's gotten into the habit of searching his bedsheets every morning. Neptune thinks it's a new tidy habit; Sage squints because he knows the truth. 

Sun and Neptune have grown more comfortable together. He sees them cuddling on the couch, cooking dinner together, even kissing in public. Their lives have grown to a happy point. Scarlet feels so incredibly happy for them, but the pain in his chest only grows. His primrose is growing bigger and brighter and he knows it's only a matter of time before petals turn to buds. 

Today they're settled on the couch, watching some cartoon made for children. Sage had extended an offer for shopping but Scarlet really didn't want to risk throwing up a mess of bloody petals in some supermarket. The media would get ahold of that for sure. Here though ... here wasn't much better, but at least he could throw up in the comfort of his own bathroom. 

Scarlet sits at the table. Homework has become practically non-existent since they arrived for the festival, yet he can't shake the feeling of wanting to do something. So Scarlet opts for drawing. The pencil in his hand is heavy and the table is littered in shavings and what remains of an eraser. He's trying his hardest to focus on his drawing but the lack of sleep is catching up to him. And he's tried,  _ oh so tired _ . 

The sound of laughter pulls his attention to the right. They're practically glowing with how happy they look and Scarlet feels his chest get tight. If he had never pushed Sun to confess, had never told Neptune to go to the park that day, would things be different? No. Sun would never look at him that way. He knew they were friends, and even if Sun and Neptune hadn't begun dating, there would always be someone else in his mind.

Scarlet was his support, the backbone no one else could be. Sun raised them up, and Scarlet supported that from his shadow. 

Without even realizing it, he has sketched the living room. Sun and Neptune are settled on the couch in much the same manner as the true reality. It's a near perfect replica, and the redhead feels himself getting close to sickness.

He rushes to the bathroom and locks the door behind him, going into a coughing fit. Everything burns and the world is stained in blood as his head hangs over porcelain. Scarlet's entire body shudders and ripples, the tension gathering in his chest, before a single primrose bud plops into the water. Blood swirls around it in a mocking way, fading into pink as the water claims what cannot be.

A single drop falls from his lips and Scarlet feels himself begin to cry.

The Vytal Festival is one week away. He can't. Not yet.

So the redhead flushes the toilet instead.

Scarlet curls up on the bathroom floor, tile cold and unwelcoming, and sobs until he passes out. 

When he awakes next, he is surrounded by soft blankets and the gentle glow from Neptune's nightlight. Scarlet turns his head in search of the clock; 12:47. Sage is sat to his right and he knows when Neptune and Sun aren't around next, he's going to get quite the lecture. 

For now, he doesn't question who came for him, and allows himself to be pulled back into sleep.

There are no petals that night.

————————————

In the week leading up to the Vytal Festival, Scarlet vomits one more bud and too many petals to count.

They'd kept his drawing.  _ Loved it _ , they said. The twinkle in Sun's eyes was almost too much to bear. Scarlet was grateful he'd penciled in those damn goggles Neptune wore at the last second, because just maybe they would've found his secret.

It doesn't really come as a surprise he when he's eliminated from the fight so easily. He isn't on his best game, and with everything happening, he can barely focus. Scarlet knows he let his few fans down but in truth, he doesn't really care.

When he dies in a few weeks, he'll be forgiven.

He attempts to raise himself from the sand he’d so ungracefully fallen into, and his heart aches at the sight before him. Sun and Neptune are ecstatic over their win and before anyone can say anything, the adrenaline seems to catch up with them. The crowd goes wild as they kiss right in front of everyone.

Scarlet buries his face in his hands, and the worst pain since the beginning of his Hanahaki washes over him. 

When he pulls his hands way, they are covered in blood. Within the center rests a yellow primrose, the flower brilliant and beautiful. The tips of the petals are wilted and the center is flush with blood, but that only makes it more appealing. 

Red and yellow, red and yellow, red and yellow.

Two colours that would never be together.

He washes his hands in the water at his side, probably one of the only humans ever fucking grateful for a coconut against their groin, and crushes the flower between clammy fingers. 

The realization that he only has a week doesn’t settle in quite yet. He pulls himself from the ground, dusts his pants off, and leave the arena. There is no congratulations.

Scarlet doesn't come back to the dorm that night. Or the night afterwards. His phone has several messages and missed calls but he can't be bothered. 

In the next two days, he lives through the pain of five flowers. It hurts and he feels so alone but he also knows he can’t face them. There’s no point.

Sun would never look at him with the same loving expression he gives Neptune.There was even one for Sage, filled with so much yearning and longing and need, and deep down he knows. He has no place here anymore. Hasn’t for a while, really. If only he had never fallen in love.

It isn’t until Beacon is in danger that Scarlet is pulled from his trance.

————————————

Sage is glaring at him, and Neptune is in a panic, but there’s no time for a reunion. There’s a battle going on, and every soul is fighting for their lives. This is what all of their training has been preparing them for; fighting Grimm, fighting evil.

_ Dying _ for their cause.

Once they’re on the airship, Sage corners him. He whispers furiously about words that Scarlet doesn’t care to listen to. This is going to be his last battle no matter the outcome. 

“We were worried sick, Scarlet, you can’t just disappear like that.  _ Especially _ not in your condition.”

Green eyes rose, dull and tired and ready to sleep, whatever that meant at this point. “Six in three days.”

“Buds?” Sage’s lips press into a thin line, eyes devoid of feeling.

“Flowers.” Those yellow eyes widen and Scarlet forces himself to look away. He can’t see it, not now, not when everything is about to end. 

“You promised. You promised we’d go!” The taller man’s voice is raised a bit. Others are noticing the distress from their direction. He has to reign this in before Sun and Neptune come over to see what’s wrong.

Scarlet raises a hand and places it against Sage’s shoulder. “That’s one promise I’ll never be able to keep, Sage.”

“Four days, Scarlet? That’s all you’re giving me?  _ Us? _ We’re your family! We’re all you have left.”

Bile rises in his throat, and his attention snaps forward. “Don’t hang that over me now. Don’t you think I fucking know that? I’ve remembered that every single day since they disowned me for wanting to be a Huntsmen.” His hand swung around in anger, finger aimed directly at Sun Wukong. “He was the only one who believed in me, and now I’m here!”

The sound of his yelling attracted attention. Sun and Neptune stared at them, and Scarlet wished he could disappear. Now was not the time, and of course they walked over. “Hey, you okay Scar? I know battle can be scary …”

“I’m fine, just tense.”

He could hear the disappointment in Sage’s voice. “You are not fine. You owe us this, Scarlet. Fighting here is not how this should go.”

“It’s not your decision Sage. You don’t get to pick where I’m going to die.”

“Wait, wait, wait, what are you talking about?  _ Die?! _ Excuse me? What is going on!” Sun’s voice quivers at the sudden emotion in it.

Neptune reaches out for him and the redhead steps away; he feels so far away already. “Scar … What’s going on? What are you talking about?”

He feels like a fool, but his mind is the clearest it has been in days. Scarlet kept the flowers from the last few days, and he tears them out of his pocket in a flurry. They’re tossed at Sun, and all of them watch as they plop onto the floor. The petals, which would normally be so silky and beautiful, are sticky with blood and lack of water.

“Hanahaki,” Neptune gasps, and suddenly there are so many voices and words and eyes and Scarlet can’t take the weight on him.

The airship lands just in time, and Scarlet rushes off to fight without a pause. He can’t deal with this. Not now, _ not ever _ .

Pretending he was fine wouldn’t work anymore.

You didn’t need to pretend in death.

————————————

Scarlet gets his wish.

There’s a Grimm, and suddenly another and another, all there for his negative energy. And deep down, he knows. This is the end. He has a gun and a sword. What good can he do against four Grimm at once?

He kills one, two, three. He stands ragged and bloody and ready to throw up another flower. Scarlet rushes forward, sword at the ready, and prepares himself for the pain.

His sword pierces through the Beowolf’s neck, and claws slide fluidly through his shoulder and chest. There’s a moment of understanding between them, a strange concept for a Grimm, and Scarlet wonders if they actually are capable of feeling.

The redhead retches, flowers and petals tumbling down the Beowolf’s arm, before he yanks his sword to the right. The creature holding him up fades into dust, and Scarlet collapses to the ground.

It’s warm and sticky and oh so  _ narrow _ . 

Before him lays a flower. It’s a primrose, and he wonders where it came from.

The yellow petals are soaking up blood.

They’re heavy and damp and being turned into something far from beautiful—something unclean.

Like Scarlet.

He curls in on himself, the pain white-hot and explosive. It isn’t so bad, really. After coughing up flowers for nearly two months, he’d grown tolerant to pain. Both physical and emotional. His hands find the sword he’d held moments before. It’s stained and heavy and Scarlet stares sleepily at the flower stuck in the hilt. With what last bits of strength he has, it’s plucked from the gold and stared at.

He sighs. The flower is tucked into the hole next to his heart. Yellow primroses, huh? Scarlet had never much cared for yellow before. Sun was a whole new category all his own, shining as brightly as the object he was named after. Yellow was burning and bright and painful to look at, and yet Scarlet had learned just how much he loved it. HIs entire perspective on yellow had changed.

Red and yellow, red and yellow, red and yellow.

Colours that were never supposed to mix.

Scarlet wished the flowers could’ve been orchids instead.

Maybe he should’ve accepted the roses clinging to his toes.

Ah, what did it matter now.

As he lay there, he heard voices. Yelling.  _ Too loud _ , he thought.  _ Wanna sleep.  _

_ Please. Let me sleep. _

**Author's Note:**

> me, shuffling my papers: and that's why scarlet doesn't exist after vol three !
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm going to do a part two yet, since I kind of like how it left off.
> 
> this was originally supposed to end happy but I changed my mind towards the end. please let me know if you enjoyed it!


End file.
